The Nation - News from April 28, 1986

Many bank tellers receive only cursory instruction on what to do in the event of robbery, one of the fastest-growing crimes, a Justice Department agency said. At most bank offices, security training is minimal and consists of verbal instructions presented on the job, the National Institute of Justice said. Of 358 Indiana banks, 163 were robbed 223 times during the 30-month period a study covered. “Beyond some general instructions to cooperate with the offender and to notify the police as soon as it is safe, many tellers simply do not know what to expect or what to do,” said the report, titled, “The Robbery of Financial Institutions.”